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Everything she ever needed to know about art she learned by throwing herself headfirst into the New York scene.

Bosker follows Cork Dork, an investigation of the wine industry, with a similarly delightful inquiry into the art world: immersive reporting along the lines of George Plimpton or Barbara Ehrenreich, with her own blend of relentless curiosity, bottomless energy, and a gift for clever formulations that recalls Oscar Wilde. Bosker began her journey with an internship in a downtown gallery run by a hipster named Jack who "spoke in a low monotone that made him sound as if he were running out of batteries.” Her experiences taught her that “gossip for art people was like echolocation for bats: You sent out signals of what you thought was great or derivative or phony, then oriented yourself based on what came back.” After she and Jack parted ways, Bosker got involved with a pair of gallerists who took her to Miami Art Week, where she continued to refine her ability to see and appreciate the work. Consequently, she discovered that she was an excellent salesperson. She began to appreciate “weird, boundary-pushing art” like that of her next mentor, Mandy AllFIRE, a performance artist and “ass influencer” who sits on people’s faces for “as long as possible.” The author went on to work in the studio of up-and-coming figurative painter Julie Curtiss, who completely transformed her way of seeing. “I’ll just come right out and say it: being around Julie was like being on drugs,” she writes. Bosker also attended a science-of-art conference in Belgium, served as a museum guard at the Guggenheim, and accompanied a pair of collectors known as the Icy Gays on a buying spree. It could not be more fun.

A delightful book on an inspiring topic by a writer who could make dust sparkle.